Stoutmire in starting role again

ALBANY --Omar Stoutmire has started in the National Football Leaguebefore. He's also been placed on waivers three times. He' prefers playing, thank you -- and he's quite anxious and ready to start again.

ED WEAVER

Published
12:00 am EDT, Monday, August 19, 2002

The six-year strong safety will take over for the departed Sam Garnes this season as the New York Giants hope to keep their secondary strong.

"No doubt about it, definitely excited," Stoutmire said after a recent practice at UAlbany.

"I thank God for the opportunity and thank the coaches for their confidence in me."

Despite his lack of size, Stoutmire is used to making tackles--lots of them. He was in on 198 of them during his junior season at Fresno State and recorded 77 and 76 in his first two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.

He started that second season, 1998, but was cut after the season. He was cut by the Cleveland Browns in training camp in 1999, then signed by the Jets and made 29 tackles in 12 games.

The Jets then waived him, too, and the Giants signed him prior to the 2000 season and he's been a solid nickel back since.

"That was difficult," Stoutmire said. "My confidence went up and down but the toughest part was wondering if a was going to get a legitimate opportunity again."

Stoutmire wants to show his teammates that they can depend on him.

"I want to be able to secure the seems for the (cornerbacks). This year, I'm going to be pretty much like a baby-sitter. I've got to take care of the corners and they have to have confidence that I'm going to be back there in the roost for them, so when the deep balls come, I can get over there and make a play on them. I think that's one of my biggest assets, my speed."

Playing free safety can offer demand a hairline's difference between judgment and reaction. Both are needed are long passes.

"Judgment and reaction," he said. "If you take a bad angle to the ball, I guess that's judgment, and the ball can be over your head.

"If you don't react fast enough, it can still be over your head and into the receiver's arms. So, it's both. You've to read the quarterback and break on the ball quickly."

Stoutmire points out that in game, he'll have one fewer headache than he does in practice; most times, he won't have a deep-threat tight end to worry about, as he does in practice with the Giants' top draft pick Jeremy Shockey.

"Oh, he's really going to help us," Stoutmire said of the 252-pound rookie.

"Most times he's going to be matched up against linebackers and he outruns all of them."

Getting some less time on special teams would likely be welcome for Stoutmire, though he wouldn't say. Covering punts can't be much for a 5-foot-11 guy who must work to keep his weight over 200 pounds.

"Oh, no, I'm still on (special teams)," he said. "That's fun. I made a lot of tackles (on punts) because of my speed. I can get down there quicker than the other guys.

"I think we're pretty different," he said. "Sam, of course, is bigger, he's 6-3, 240. At the same time, I'm smaller but I pretty fast and quicker. I think the coverage ability I have is going to help the defense."

The Giants secondary has question marks, with two second-year men (Will Allen and Will Peterson) and veteran Jason Sehorn's continuing knee problems at cornerback and a depth problem at safety made worse by Saturday's serious knee injury to Clarence LeBlanc.

"I think we're fine," Stoutmire said. "Shaun (William's) is playing strong safety now. He's a tremendous athlete. He's fast, quick, athletic. He's a Pro Bowl safety in my opinion, he just has to go out and prove it. But I think he's going to flourish at strong safety."